Difference between revisions of "Hârn Manor Village Generation"

Revision as of 08:39, 30 July 2017

Note: Green = I Have, Red = Don't Have, Orange = Old Scan, Blue = Misc, Black = ALL Base (Template)

Note: ADD Link Colour for Text: CREATE LINKED Page

Note: REPLACE Headline link with page name.

Villages

VILLAGE CENSUS FORM (VCF)

TENANT HOUSEHOLDS

TENANT SKILL (ML)

HOUSEHOLD SIZE

TENANT ACRES

SIDEBARS

TENANT CLASS Table

Serf Classes

Family Size

TENANT OBLIGATIONS

Freehold Tenants

Unfree Tenants

Slave Tenants

SIDEBARS

The Manor Map

VILLAGE CRAFTSMEN

SIDEBARS

CRAFTSMAN OCCUPATION Table

Freemasters

Ale, Beer, and Cider

YEOMEN

Yeoman Scutage

SIDEBARS

FEUDAL OBLIGATIONS Table

YEOMAN CLASS Table

AVONEL MANOR: Yeomen

Military Substitutions

The Feudal Levy

TENANT OFFICES

SIDEBARS

MANOR CALENDAR

MANOR CHURCHES (The Priest)

The Glebe

SIDEBARS

Tenant Tithe

Glebe Revenues

Describing Tenants

Tenant adjective Table

• A
  • a

Manor 09

Village Generation

Villages

A manor without tenants is a ruin. The tenants do the work that makes a manor thrive or fail. While the day-to-day life of the tenants might seem unimportant, the lord's welfare depends on their security and prosperity.

Villages are filled with people, some interesting, some mundane, some deadly, some with a keen interest in outsiders, most suspicious of all strangers. A Village Census Form (VCF) is used to populate your manor.

VILLAGE CENSUS FORM (VCF)

The Village Census Form (VCF) records data on tenant households. Each line on the VCF records the identity, occupation, skill, and land contract of one village household. Step-by-step procedures for filling in the VCF follow.

TENANT HOUSEHOLDS

The number of tenant households for most manors are given in the various Hârnic kingdom articles. Otherwise:

Tenant Households = Cleared Acres ÷ 40 × LQ

For each tenant household, roll 1d100 on the Tenant Class table (sidebar) and record occupation as "Craftsman," "Villein," etc. If there are more than 40 households, continue on a second VCF or set up a satellite village with its own VCF.

TENANT SKILL (ML)

For each household, determine a primary skill ML with a (3d6×5)+25 roll. Enter the ML on the VCF. The primary skill of most tenants is Agriculture; for craftsmen, it is their main craft skill.

HOUSEHOLD SIZE

Family size and sibling rank can be important for inheritance, poll taxes, slave labor, and a PC lord's interest in specific tenants. Roll on the table below and record the number of household members generated in the HD SIZE column. With a maximum roll, add 1d6−1.

Additional family data such as Sibling Rank and Estrangement for specific family members can be generated as needed using HârnMaster (Character 4).

TENANT ACRES

Using the Tenant Class table (sidebar), generate the Acres held by each tenant and record the number under Serf or Free Acres as appropriate. Craftsmen and Farmers have Free acres; Villeins, Half-Villeins, and Cottars have Serf acres, although Villeins might also have Free acres (see note 2).

SIDEBARS

TENANT CLASS Table

Serf Classes

In densely populated regions such as Shorkyne and Trierzon, cottars tend to outnumber villeins. Throughout Hârn, the low population density encourages larger peasant holdings and hence more villeins than cottars.

Family Size

It takes about four acres (half crops and half pasture) to support each person. Hence, the average household of five requires 20 acres. A productive garden and skilled foraging help fill the pot, but large cottar families are nearly always hungry.

Manor 10

TENANT OBLIGATIONS

Freehold Tenants

Freeholders work their land in exchange for Rent, payable in cash, kind, military service, or a mix of these. They also owe annual Fees for pasture, fishing, woods, and other specified rights.

Farmers pay an annual Rent of sixty pence (60d) for their toft (cottage), plus six pence (6d) per acre. Record amount under Rent. They also owe annual Fees for various rights equal to sixpence (6d) plus one penny (1d) per acre. Record amount under Fees.

□□Vary rent from four pence (4d) to eight pence (8d) per acre. Rents could vary based on land quality and duration of the farm.

Craftsmen owe the same Rent and Fees for their land as Farmers, but also pay annual fees for a license to operate their business on the fief. Add to Fees total. For Fee details, see Manor 11 (sidebar).

Yeomen are farmers who pay for their land with military service to the lord. Each pays a token Rent of sixty pence (60d) for their cottage, plus one penny (1d) per acre. Normal Fees of sixpence (6d) plus one penny (1d) per acre are also paid. Record amounts under Rent & Fees.

Unfree Tenants

Unfree tenants hold their land in exchange for labor and pay modest fees in cash or kind for pasture, fishing, woods, and other specified rights.

Serfs owe four (4) days Labor per acre, plus sixty pence (60d) Rent for their cottage. They also owe Fees for various rights equal to sixpence (6d) plus one penny (1d) per acre.

□□Vary labor from three (3) to five (5) days per acre. Variance within the same manor is uncommon and would be justified only in special cases.

Slave Tenants

Slave adults provide 300 days Labor per year, but women are excused 60 days work per child. That is, a female slave with three children need only give 300 – 180 = 120 days labor per year. Slaves are considered to be adults at age 13 and most lords demand half-labor from slave children ages 8–12. An average slave household provides 600 days labor per year, although a more accurate number can be determined if a slave family is generated. Record total Labor Days. The Kind expended to feed and support the slaves is equal to 120d per year (adults) and 80d (children). Record this number in Notes and add to Labor Hired on MBF.

Example: A slave household has one adult man, one adult woman, and three children, ages 3, 6, and 10. This household works 300 days for the man, 120 days for the woman, and 150 days for the eldest child, a total of 570 days. Cost to support this family for one year is 480d.

SIDEBARS

The Manor Map

It is always a good idea to draw a map of the manor and village generated. From the Regional or Kingdom maps, you can determine the terrain and any major roads or rivers present. The scale of those maps is so great (more than 50 manors could potentially fit in the 90,000 acres of one map hex) that you can freely change the direction from which a road or river enters and leaves the manor, as long as neighboring manors match up.

1. . Draw the roads and river first. Add hills, smaller streams, and other terrain features as necessary.
2. . Decide whether the manor house is near the village. It doesn't have to be—it may be situated in a more defensible location.
3. . If there is a stream or river, put the mill beside it. Otherwise, the mill will need a level area for an ox-mill or an exposed area for a windmill.
4. . If there is no nearby body of drinkable water, add a village well. A steady diet of natural river or lake water is unhealthy.
5. . Locate the smithy and any other craftsmen that tend to throw sparks (potter, glassworker, weaponcrafter) on the down-wind end of the village, at a safe distance. Do the same for hideworkers, which smell really bad.
6. . For each household, there will be a toft (cottage) and a croft (adjacent garden) that, taken together, are about one acre. The tofts will tend to cluster along the road(s), with the crofts behind.
7. . Draw in areas for the fields. Within the limits of topography, villages tend to be located in the center of their fields and the peasants commute outwards to their work.
8. . Color, key, and add type to the map as desired. We do not key the colored Player Maps so that players do not "chase the numbers," but that's your choice.

Manor 11

VILLAGE CRAFTSMEN

Most manors are self-sufficient. To keep things running smoothly, lords try to ensure their fief has at least a miller, a metalsmith, and a woodcrafter on which they and their tenants can rely. Larger manors usually have additional craftsmen. Wealthy lords often have bonded craftsmen attached to their household.

Rural occupations like thatcher or trapper are unguilded, but the main crafts are controlled by Hârn's powerful guilds. Manorial lords, although encumbered by guild privilege, earn considerable income from license fees paid by craftsmen. In addition, most rural craftsmen hold freehold acres for which they pay rent; they tend to be stable, law-abiding tenants.

For each Craftsman generated by Tenant Class, roll 1d100 on the Craftsman Occupation table (sidebar). If the same occupation is generated again, choose the highest unfilled occupation. That is, if Salter is already generated, choose Miller, or if that is already filled, choose Metalsmith, and so on. Record the occupation and note the business Fees owed.

Millers grind flour for tenants in exchange for a 5–15% share called a multure. Most millers also have ovens to bake bread and are equipped to press oil from seeds or nuts. Although a certain amount of petty violation is tolerated, lords preserve the miller's monopoly by fining tenants caught utilizing hand mills. Some large fiefs have two or more mills because the guild demands, but does not always get, one mill franchise per 1,800 cleared acres.

Metalsmiths practice long-established skills with forge and anvil to produce nails, knives, metal pots, horse and ox shoes, and many other metal artifacts. They work closely with Woodcrafters to produce plows, harrows, hoes, grainflails, barrels, and the like.

Woodcrafters make and repair barrels, chests, plows, wagons, furniture, and numerous other wooden artifacts. Their annual license includes the right to cut a specified amount of timber.

Salters are essential to rural life because they preserve foodstuffs in brine or vinegar, or by drying or smoking. They also make cheeses, but do not have a monopoly in cheesemaking.

Hideworkers are common on larger manors, although their tanneries tend to be small. Rural hideworkers function as sheep-shearers, trappers, and butchers in addition to curing hides.

Timberwrights exist in many well-wooded manors. The master timberwright pays an annual fee for the right to cut and process timber, simultaneously clearing land for the manor.

Charcoalers pay annual fees for the right to cut a specified amount of wood. Charcoal is needed by metalsmiths, potters, glassworkers, weaponcrafters, and miners. Charcoalers also produce the tar used by shipwrights and the ash used by glassworkers and by perfumers in soapmaking.

Shipwrights are found on manors where fishing is important, where they are almost as common as metalsmiths. See Manor 31 (Coastal Manors).

Innkeepers have a monopoly on the commercial brewing and retail sale of alcoholic beverages. In rural districts, the monopoly is weak because few manors can support an inn and ale does not travel well. Most rural ale is brewed by peasant women known as alewives, who take turns brewing a batch and announcing its sale by hanging a sign outside their cottage. Innkeepers sometimes get illicit competition from these women.

SIDEBARS

CRAFTSMAN OCCUPATION Table

CRAFTSMAN OCCUPATION 1d100 Occupation Fees 01–25 Miller¹ 240d 26–45 Metalsmith¹ 144d 46–60 Woodcrafter¹ 120d 61–70 Salter 120d 71–75 Hideworker 144d 76–80 Timberwright 216d 81–85 Charcoaler 180d 86–90 Shipwright² 144d 91–95 Innkeeper 216d 96–00 GM discretion³ Varies

1 The first three craftsmen exist in most manorial villages over 20 households. If not generated, consider them to exist but to be recently deceased, missing, etc.

2 Coastal manors only.

3 Some manors require specialized craftsmen that can either be chosen by the GM as freemasters, or attached to the lord's household as bonded masters. For example, manors held by fighting orders and legions require the services of a physician, tentmaker, weaponcrafter, and perhaps an embalmer.

Freemasters

Village freemasters, at least in theory, work for themselves. In practice, however, the lord is often a freemaster's best customer and is certainly the landlord. Independence may be a moot point under such conditions.

Ale, Beer, and Cider

Water is a beverage only for livestock and the very poor. Most Hârnic peasants consume 6–12 pints of ale, beer, or cider per day. Ale is brewed from water, barley malt, and honey; it is sometimes flavored with wild hops, which makes it beer. Brewing consumes a large share of the barley harvest.

The brew is readily available and sells for as little as five gallons for one penny. The practice began as a safe means to drink water, but has become a palliative for a hard life. Many peasants are, in fact, borderline alcoholics, and many hallmoot cases involve alcohol-induced violence or vandalism.

Manor 12

YEOMEN

Feudal obligations invariably require a knight to provide additional warriors as part of his military service. To satisfy their military obligation, most fiefholders utilize the custom of yeomanry. Yeomen are Farmers who agree to give military service to the fiefholder as payment for their land. They accompany the fiefholder for his military service, and assist with policing and defense of the fief.

1. . Determine the minimum number of Yeomen from the Feudal Obligations table (sidebar). An example for Avonel manor is given. A fiefholder may have additional yeomen if desired, but the extra security may strain the fief budget. Wealthy fiefholders may elect to have Men-at-Arms attached to their household in place of all/some Yeomen. See Manor 21.
2. . Consult the Yeoman Class table and generate the military class for each Yeoman present. Military substitutions are allowed at GM discretion. #. For each yeoman present, change occupation of any Farmer to Yeoman. Generate acres required for the Yeoman class.
3. . Determine Yeoman revenues. They typically pay annual Rent of sixty pence (60d) for their cottage plus one penny (1d) per acre. Normal Fees are sixpence (6d) plus one penny (1d) per acre. They also owe military service of 60–90 days, recorded in the Notes column but not as Labor.

Yeoman Scutage

Yeomen sometimes render all or part of their military service as scutage. This substitution is most common when the fiefholder provides scutage to his own liege and has less need of the yeoman's military services. Scutage is always negotiable, starting with the current military wage for each excused day of service.

SIDEBARS

FEUDAL OBLIGATIONS Table

FEUDAL OBLIGATIONS Region Obligation/Gross Acres Kanday, Rethem, 1 HH/1500 + 1LF/600 Melderyn, Kaldor Chybisa 1 HH/1500 + 1 LF/300 Thardic Republic 1 LF/300 or 1 LH/600 Azadmere (Habe) 1 LF/300 Ivinia, Harbaal, Orbaal Chelemby 1 LF/100 Shorkyne 1 HH + 1 LH + 1MF, + 2 LF/3000

YEOMAN CLASS Table

YEOMAN CLASS 1d100 Acres Military Class 01–50 1d10+10 Light Foot (LF) 51–70 1d10+20 Medium Foot (MF) 71–90 1d10+40 Longbow (LB) 91–00 1d10+60 Light Horse (LH)

AVONEL MANOR: Yeomen

Avonel Manor, with 2130 acres, is expected to provide 1 Heavy Horse (the lord) and 1 Light Foot per 600 acres. Fractions are rendered as Scutage or rounded up as manpower. Thus, Avonel would normally be expected to provide 3 Light Foot and scutage for 330 acres, or 4 Light Foot, or equivalent substitutes.

Military Substitutions

In most realms, military classes can be substituted as follows: 3 Light Foot = 2 Medium Foot 3 Light Foot = 1 Light Horse 2 Medium Foot = 1 Light Horse 2 Light Foot = 1 Shortbow 3 Light Foot = 1 Longbow 2 Medium Foot = 1 Longbow 1 Light Horse = 1 Longbow

The Feudal Levy

There has always been a theory and practice regarding numbers in a feudal levy. The theory is that a traditional knight's fee of 1200 acres will yield one heavy horse and two yeomen. The practice is that it will yield less. Some knights neglect a summons, others arrive late, while some will bring only one yeoman, or none at all. Ambitious or wealthy knights may bring a larger force than is required, but such men rarely outnumber the slackers.

Manor 13

TENANT OFFICES

Certain tenants hold the office of Reeve, Herder, Woodward, and Beadle. They manage specific activities, maintain order, and ensure the lord and the tenants get their honor and due from each other. Tradition reserves the offices for villeins with the most unfree acres, unless they decline. Village politics ensure that the offices go to villeins popular among their peers because tenants can make the life of an unpopular Reeve very miserable.

Tenant officers are unpaid. They are forgiven their Labor obligations, but still pay fees. Determine the villein with the most unfree acres. There is an 80% chance that tenant will take the job of Reeve. Repeat for each other office, except Beadle, who can be chosen by the lord. In each case, reduce labor obligations to zero and record the office under Occupation.

The Reeve effectively runs the operation of the manor. He presides at the village moot, decides what crops to plant, supervises the formation of plow teams, and makes sure that everyone does their proper share of work. On some manors, the Reeve collects rents, levies fines on tenants, sells produce for the lord, and makes purchases for the manor. Records are kept on tally sticks of the produce harvested and the respective shares delivered to the lord, to the tenants, to market, and to storage. Reeves often enjoy special privileges, such as eating at the lord's table. The office is lucrative and is most often held by the senior villein measured in terms of acres held.

The Woodward manages the fief's woodlands, ensures that no one poaches them, decides which trees to cut, and plants new trees. Lords who cherish hunting (and most do) often consider the Woodward the most important officer on the fief.

The Herder manages the fief's pasture and livestock. He is in charge of the meadow and winter feed, sees that the lord's livestock are penned and his fences mended, and manages the rotation of livestock grazing on the fallow fields.

The Beadle is the "village policeman," an office commonly held by a Yeoman as part of his feudal service or by a trusted villein appointed by the lord. The Beadle is responsible for the granaries and especially for the preservation of seed—a particularly stressful task in years of famine. Other duties include impounding livestock that stray into cropland, keeping the punfold, and collecting all fines levied by the manorial court. The Beadle is rarely a popular man with the other tenants.

Note: Tenant Officers have a significant impact on a fief's revenues. See Manor 23 for details.

SIDEBARS

MANOR CALENDAR

WINTER

AUTUMN

SUMMER

SPRING

Nuzyael Plow Spring Fields Sow Early Grains Peonu Sow Late Grains Peoni Festival (5th) Sow Flax Kelen Harvest Hay Shear Sheep Weed & Hoe Nolus Weed & Hoe Fief Maintenance Harvest Rye Larane Harvest Barley Harvest Oats Harvest Wheat Agrazhar Harvest Orchards Harvest Flax Harvest Beans Azura Thresh Grains Graze the Stubble Make Straw Halane Plow Winter Fields Sow Winter Grain Slaughter Livestock Savor Salt & Smoke Meats Collect Firewood Fief Maintenance Ilvin Fief Maintenance Assart Woods Navek Fief Maintenance Birthing Calves Morgat Tool Repair Birthing Lambs/Kids

The calendar above is only a rough guide. Agricultural dates always depend on local climate and current weather. A harvest in Orbaal is typically 15 days later than shown, and southern Melderyn is 15 days earlier. A very wet spring can delay the local harvest by as much as 30 days. Use discretion.

The goal is for the GM to be able to say something like:

"Today is the 5th of Agrazhar, a Laranian holy day. The weather is warm and partly cloudy, and the reeve is rounding up the villagers to bring in the hay in the lower meadow. Last we saw our heroes..."

Manor 14

MANOR CHURCHES (The Priest)

A manorial village, unless very small, is likely to contain a small temple or chapel that is home to an ordained priest. Except in Orbaal, where Sarajinian and Ilviran faiths dominate, Peonian chapels are the most common.

Because most nobles worship Agrik or Larani, manors usually contain a small shrine to one of these deities within the manorhouse. Wealthy lords may also support a cleric of their faith within their household.

The Glebe

Acreage is attached to the village church to support the cleric. This land, called the Glebe, varies from 10 to 60 acres. The glebe is worked by the priest (Peonian clerics are not above getting their hands dirty), by resident acolytes if any, and by peasants working their tithe. Some village churches have subtenants who hold portions of the Glebe in exchange for labor and/or rent, functioning like a manor within a manor.

Rent is sometimes paid to the lord for the glebe, but he more commonly collects a half share of all church revenues. Tithe paid by the tenants is a major source of church revenue. The lord's share of Glebe revenues can be substantial and is often assigned to support a younger son.

Glebe: There is a 5% chance per tenant household that a village chapel exists. That is, with 10 HDs, there is a 50% chance. Maximum chance is 95% and failure to generate at this level implies the chapel is currently inactive for some reason. Convert any tenant to "priest" and record Glebe as 2d6×5 freehold acres. Rent and Fees are entered as zero.

Calculate total Glebe revenues as 60d per Glebe acre, plus 5d per Tenant acre. Record revenues under Notes; the lord's share (50%) is recorded on the Manor Budget Form under Glebe Revenues.

SIDEBARS

Tenant Tithe

The average tenant has a gross income of about 50d per acre. Hence the average tithe is about 5d per acre. Tithe is traditionally rendered in kind, but poorer tenants are allowed to work it.

Glebe Revenues

A manor has 40 Glebe acres and 700 Tenant Acres. Glebe revenues are therefore:

40 × 60d = 2,400d

+ 700 × 5d = 3,500d

= 5,900d

The lord's share (50%) is 2,950d.

Describing Tenants

Things are more fun if you make the tenants and householders seem like individuals. One way is to generate adjectives from the table below. Roll a d6 to determine the first digit, and a d10 for the second:

Tenant adjective Table

10. Angry 11. Baby-faced 12. Bald 13. Bearded 14. Beautiful 15. Boring 16. Calm 17. Childish 18. Chubby 19. Confused 20. Defensive 21. Distracted 22. Downtrodden 23. Dreamy 24. Drunken 25. Excitable 26. Friendly 27. Generous 28. Gossipy 29. Grieving 30. Grizzled 31. Guilty 32. Hairy 33. Hopeful 34. Hostile 35. Hungry 36. Ignorant 37. Impatient 38. Jolly 39. Lusty 40. Malodorous 41. Merry 42. Muddle-headed 43. Obese 44. Old 45. Open-hearted 46. Paranoid 47. Paternal/Maternal 48. Plain 49. Pleasant 50. Powerful 51. Preoccupied 52. Radical 53. Self-conscious 54. Self-righteous 55. Self-sacrificing 56. Short 57. Silly 58. Skinny 59. Starving 60. Tall 61. Trusting 62, Ugly 63. Vengeful 64. Vicious 65. Wary 66. Weary 67. Whining 68. Wise 69. Wistful

A

• A
  • A

Notes

• A
  • A